Te Urewera National Park has the largest forested wilderness left on the North Island. It is remembered for its beautiful lakes and awesome forest, as well as for its cultural history.

The park covers 212,675 ha and was established 1954 together with neighbouring Whirinaki Forest Park. This is the largest remaining area of native forest in the North Island.

This area has been home to the Tuhoe people, or "Children of the Mist" for a long time. "Children of the Mist" refers to the fact that they are the offspring of Hine-puhoku-rangi, the celestial Mist Maiden. The relationship between these people and the land is very strong, and runs very deep.

The lands here were derived from young mudstone, siltstone and sandstone, mostly very ancient at 10 or 15 million years. These sediments were originally part of the sea floor, but got an uprising to above sea level. There has been some major erosion, which has created valleys like Aniwaniwa, and huge ridges like Panekiri.

To the south of the park there are two of the park’s famous treasures – Lake Waikaremoana is noted for its scenic shoreline, and there is a smaller lake, Waikareiti. A huge landslide created these over 2000 years ago, which blocked the path of the river, creating the lakes.

There are more than 650 species of native plant growing in the park. There have been in recent years quite a few occurrences of volcanic activity, fire and storms, which have changed the landscape. Deer and possum hunting are encouraged, as these animals have destroyed a large amount of natural forest.

Most of the park is not very easy to get to, and is very remote. This has made the protection of the native species relatively easy, and the park is the home for kiwis, kaka, falcon and whio (blue duck) just to name a few.

This park is 212,672 hectares, and lies between the Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay. It is the North Islands largest park, and the 4^th largest in New Zealand. Nearby towns include Whakatane, Taneatua northwards, Murupara and Ruatahuna westwards. To the east is Wairoa, and near the shore of Lake Waikaremoana is the tiny settlement of Aniwaniwa. There is a visitor’s centre here.

By the Lake there is a motor camp, motels, cabins, tent sites with a store, and petrol.

The part gravel road of state highway 38 passes Lake Waikaremoana and the visitor’s centre. The surface is gravel between Murupara and Aniwaniwa, and is about a 2 hour drive.

Some interesting things to do include a visit to the Aniwaniwa Museum, which is in the heart of Te Urewera National Park. It is managed by DOC, and shows a lot of natural and cultural history of the area. You can also do many walks, as the park has an extensive track system. The most popular is the Lake Waikaremoana Track, and is considered one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. There are huts along the 46 km track, and most can also be accessed by boat. There are also shorter walks available, with one up to Lake Waikareiti. Some land up here is private Maori land, which you are welcome to walk on, but just stay to the tracks.

You can go boating and fishing on the Lakes, and most activities are permitted. There are rainbow trout and brown trout to be found in the lakes, and you can buy a fishing license at the store.

If you like hunting, it’s a great place to find pigs, deer and possums. You need a permit for this also, and these can be bought at the store.

This park is an exciting natural adventure, with many beautiful sights to be seen, and lots of fun to be had.